Ying Yang Waltz
by Effervescent Dreamer
Summary: When they dance, when they're together, their souls, hearts are so closely intertwined it's hard to tell who is the sun and who is the rain.


Yin Yang Waltz

Disclaimer: I don't own the Titans or any brand name items, songs mentioned in this fic.

* * *

Spotlights flared to life as wind machines roared into action. Rows upon rows of vanity tables were littered with empty gel bottles, hair spray cans and lipstick containers that were down to the nub. Articles of dismissed clothing were strewn across the floor along with shoes of various styles from stiletto to strappy and from vintage cowboy to cute and chic tennis shoes.

Kori Anders, a twenty three year old who hailed from the country of Tamaran was known as one of the "fresh faces" of the year. Currently she sat in a chair while a make up artist did up her face. Silvery blue eye shadow ghosted from the brush to her lids, the subtle shimmer enhancing the emerald of her eyes. A natural tone of make-up, one that matched her sun kissed cheeks danced across her face while a rich crimson coated her lips.

The make-up artist who was known as Pam stepped back and smiled, "Alright sweetie, you're done here. Your dress is waiting for you in changing room twelve."

Kori returned the smile. "Thank you Pam." She stood and headed over to changing room twelve, mindful of the thin heels adorning her shoes. Entering the room, it took Kori a short amount of time to slip into her dress. The dress was of a soft blue satin fabric. It had two thin straps on each side, the width of ivy that came together behind her neck. It fell to the floor, the matching shoes she wore barely visible. Over the blue material of her waist was a thin, sheer layer of gold making it seem like sunlight splashing over the morning ocean of the Caribbean. It went from her left hip, cutting at a diagonal angle and traveled to her right ankle, small crystal butterflies lining the golden material. On her back, the material dipped into a V reaching the middle of her spine. Her locks of fiery scarlet were coiled into a bun that rested on the nape of her neck.

Kori stared blankly at her reflection and mentally sighed. _Another pretty dress covering a pretty girl. Watch her dance ladies and gentlemen, to the rhythm of the puppet master's music. One of these days I _will_ be free._

A knock brought Kori out of her thoughts. "Come on girl," The voice of her friend Karen sailed past the wooden barrier. "The shoot's about to begin!" Pasting on a smile, Kori opened the door and walked over to Karen. Karen herself was wearing a strapless, creamy yellow sheath split into two flowing, scalloped layers so it curled over her long legs like an upside down summer's bloom. Large black abstract flowers sprang up from her waist onto the bodice.

"I'm ready," Kori said. "That dress is very beautiful," she added.

"Thanks," Karen replied. "I love it. Hopefully, this'll be the dress I'll be allowed to keep after the shoot."

As the two friends entered the room, Martin Starsk the girl's photographer rushed over to Kori and ushered her away from Karen. "Kori darling!" Martin exclaimed. "Come, come, come, Garth awaits you." Kori let out a silent laugh. Garth was a well known male model, quite handsome with shoulder length black hair and piercing violet eyes, a friendly smile almost always on his face. For weeks the tabloids insisted that Garth and Kori were a couple, yet Garth quickly doused those flames when he announced his engagement to longtime girlfriend Tula Brook. Tula hadn't caught the media's attention because she was a kindergarten teacher, an absolute sweet woman. Not that Kori was a scandalous woman, mind, she, as stated by Garth was merely his friend and that was the truth.

The theme of the photo shoot taking place was _Fairytale Romance. _For the first shot Kori stood with her back against a white ivory column, head titled slightly, causing those looking on to wonder whether she was the heroine or damsel in distress, whether or not she was hiding from Garth or watching him as he stood in the middle of a ballroom set up, staring longingly in the distance. Kori's eyes were heavy lidded, her lashes sweeping across her cheeks, full lips slightly parted. Kori herself appeared to be longing for something and indeed she was, a life away from the flashbulbs and high demand of fashion. She wanted to go back to the dreams she once had and make them come true.

The next shot had Kori wearing a red hooded cape over her dress. The red garment was so long it brushed the floor as Garth held Kori in a dip, her arm wrapped around his shoulders. The look in their eyes was intense, passionate. Cameras flashed, Martin calling out that he was loving it and he wanted it to be hotter, spicier. All at once everything swelled, music and noise blending, screeching, colors blurring. Kori snapped.

"Stop!!!" She screamed ripping away from Garth's grasp. Everyone froze at the young model's outburst.

Garth looked at her in concern, "Kori are you all right?"

She appeared to be shell shocked. Keeping her gaze on the floor, Kori replied, "I need to leave." With that, she removed the cape from her shoulders and tossed it to the floor before bolting for the door.

* * *

'_I really need to get a haircut,'_ Richard Grayson thought wearily as his shaggy, rain soaked obsidian locks flopped into his eyes. He walked toward a pristine white, perfectly rectangular building. The words Jump City Hospital were painted in bold red letters. Once inside the building Richard raked a hand through his hair several times trying to dry his hair as best as possible. Once through, Richard walked up to the main desk. The receptionist looked up at him and smiled, "Hello, she's been asking for you, room 523A."

Richard returned the smile, albeit there was tension behind it. "Thank you."

Finding room 523A was simple enough, it was a matter of entering the room. Richard took a deep breath, tugging on his collar, grateful he had decided to ditch his tie in the car. He placed his hand on the brass knob taking another breath to brace himself before turning the knob and entering the room.

The patient lying on the hospital bed was a young woman of twenty years. She was thin, though not frail, yet right now she appeared to be made of glass. Blonde hair tumbled over her shoulders, bandages covering cerulean eyes. Richard winced as his gaze fell onto her arms, small cigarette burns littered them both, healing salve making her pale skin shine.

The girl looked in his general direction. "Dick is that you?"

Hoping she was able to hear reassurance in his voice, Richard answered, "Yeah Terra, it's me."

She smiled softly, "Hey."

Terra Markov was one of Richard's good friends. Five years his junior, Terra had come from a hard life, her mother leaving her at an early age, her father an alcoholic. Yet despite this, Terra maintained an upbeat, determined attitude with dreams of backpacking across the world one day. Unfortunately, one of Terra's fatal flaws was her insecurity about where she fit in despite having friends and a boyfriend. Gradually she shied away from them and began to trust the wrong people.

Terra's history professor, _professor _of all people, Richard had a hard time fathoming this, had drugged and brutally raped the poor girl, while also trying to burn her. Weren't professors supposed to protect and guide you? Not…all of this? Richard became incensed, wishing fervently that this all could have been prevented, that Terra could have found the courage to talk to her friends, that they had the sense to know what was going on before the worst happened.

Terra broke the silence that hung in the room. "So are you going to have a seat, or are you going to keep staring at the sight that is me?"

Smiling slightly, Richard dragged a chair over to Terra's bedside and sat. Right away seriousness took him over, lawyer that he is and began speaking of Terra's impending case. "Terra I have to warn you and I'm sorry for being so frank when saying this but--"

"But despite all of the physical evidence provided, the testimonials that will be given and all signs pointing to the defendant being one hundred percent guilty, the most damage that slime will suffer is probably three years and five hundred hours of community service." Terra smirked. "I'm just ball parkin' it."

"I'd say you're pretty close," Richard said. Then his voice became cold. "But yeah, the way these cases go, Wilson's gonna get away with nothing in comparison to what he deserves."

"I couldn't have said it better myself," Terra agreed with a sigh.

Before silence could reign over the hospital room once again Richard said softly, "He misses you, you know."

"I miss him too," Terra replied, in regards to her boyfriend. "I'm just not ready for Gar to see me, not like this." Biting her lip in thought, Terra leaned over toward her night table and felt around before finding her desired object. Leaning over in the opposite direction, she dropped it in Richard's hands. He looked down to see a simple pale blue butterfly clip in his hands. "Could you give that Gar to hold on to and tell him I'll try to call him soon?"

Richard nodded. "Don't worry Terra, he won't give up on you, none of us will."

"Thanks."

* * *

It was around five o'clock, the dawn of the night when Kori arrived home, living in Jump City Towers. Coffee in hand, she headed straight for the elevator wanting nothing more to flop onto her bed and watch the marathon of House that was scheduled for that night followed by the new episode of Castle. Hey, just because she had a career in modeling didn't mean that she lacked knowledge or had a keen sense of observation not to mention a love for mysteries.

Upon entering the elevator Kori barely noticed the dark haired male also coming into the elevator, he too busy to notice her due to the fact that he was tapping away on his Blackberry. Selecting her floor, Kori took a contented sip of her drink and closed her eyes, ready to enjoy the ride up, no matter how brief. Listening to the dings of the floors the elevator passing, Kori knew it was the fifth floor they had reached when the car gave a sudden jerk, followed by a ten second jostle, her drink nearly flying out of her grasp.

The man beside her frowned, "What the heck was that?"

Equally confused, Kori looked up and saw that the floor arrow had passed five and had not quite reached six. "I believe we're stuck." She replied.

"Yeah," the man murmured. "But why?" Then realization came over him. "Wait a moment…" He walked toward the back of the elevator, Kori following him with a curious gaze. A few seconds later the man groaned. "I see what the problem is, we're riding Teddy."

Kori raised an eyebrow. "Pardon?"

He laughed sheepishly. "Teddy is a name I heard from the other tenants. This elevator is constantly breaking down and nicknamed Teddy." He gestured toward a child's scribbling of a bear in the left-hand corner.

Turning back to the doors that clearly weren't going to open anytime soon, Kori asked, "So how long do you think we'll be stuck in here?"

He sighed. "Don't know, could be hours. Though the power isn't out, I could call down to the lobby and see if we could get help quicker." He paused. "If only I remembered the number…"

Kori giggled. "Perhaps some kind soul will notice our predicament and have us out of here soon."

The man shrugged. "It's a possibility." He held out his hand. "My name's Richard by the way, Richard Grayson."

Kori smiled and shook his hand, "Kori Anders."

Richard arched an eyebrow, "As in the model?"

"As in the model," Kori confirmed. "And you are Grayson as in the successful criminal prosecutor?"

Richard chuckled, "I don't like to brag, but I haven't lost too many cases." He noticed Kori peering at him, his laughter faltering. "Um, what is it?"

"Your laughter doesn't reach your eyes, what troubles you?" She glanced at the doors. "Considering that we won't be getting out of here anytime soon, why don't you tell me?"

Not apt to initiate conversations with strangers, neighbors or otherwise, Richard hesitated for a moment before deciding that it was okay to open up to Kori and tell her of his troubles. Sliding down to the floor, he nodded to the space next to him and waited for her to join him before speaking.

"I just came from the hospital," he began, noting of Kori's interest and concern. "My friend had been attacked, by her history professor," the word "professor" carrying a hint of revulsion to it. "Now she's scarred both physically and emotionally and could quite possibly be blind permanently." He gripped his Blackberry. "If only I had known something was wrong I could've helped her before she got hurt!" A sigh escaped. "But I don't think I'm taking this as badly as her boyfriend is, he truly loves her."

Kori remained silent, having no clue how to react to that, a combination of worry and disgust settling in the pit of her stomach. She swallowed, trying to moisten her dry throat. "I believe if she knows that you are there for her now, giving her constant support and reassurance, she will heal slightly faster and better. I know it won't happen overnight, but with her friends and loved ones surrounding her, she will one day say that she is okay."

Richard nodded, allowing a smile to work its way across his face, one he hoped would reach his eyes. He looked into Kori's emerald eyes and saw that something was troubling her as well. "Alright," he said. "I bared my soul now it's your turn, spill."

Kori's smile was sheepish. "My woes are nothing in comparison to your troubles."

"Doesn't mean they're not worth listening to."

Kori nodded once, "Very well. Today during a photo shoot I had a meltdown, screaming and running away. I am just tired of being a model. All the make up and clothing, the hairspray inhalation and the high pitched shrieking of a high maintenance model diva." She shrugged. "Sure the pay is good and the travel is exciting, but really, this isn't the life I wanted. It was the life that was forced upon me."

Richard became skeptical at that. "_Forced _upon? Care to elaborate?"

"I am from the country Tamaran, south of Italy, to the east of Sicily. True my country wasn't huge, but we were very profitable with our export of Zorkaberries, using them as juice, medicinal ingredients, even finding a way to make actual working fuel out of the unique purple and magenta fruits. I suppose the term would be using them to 'go green.' Yet because of our small size in both landmass and population, we were easily and constantly targeted by larger, more powerful countries particularly one called Gordania.

When I about five years of age the Gordanians waged war on Tamaran. It was a time of devastation. Many lives were lost, my parents included. My brother, sister and I moved to America to live with a family friend. Up until my seventeenth year, life appeared to be good. From there it quickly became the opposite. Our guardian died and my brother left my sister and I without so much as a backward glance. I initially went into modeling because of scholarship opportunities, yet because of her seniority over me, my sister signed me into a three year contract, I was unable to finish high school. And over time I forgot that I had the right to say no."

Kori smiled wistfully. "Do you know what I wished to do?" Richard shook his head, still in shock over Kori's past. "I wanted to teach music to students with disabilities."

Richard frowned. "Who says you don't have that opportunity anymore?"

"I guess I do," Kori admitted. "It seems that modeling has become my comfort zone and though I had that outburst earlier, I don't know how to simply leave."

"You'll find a way," Richard said confidently. "And if you want to be happy, then you'll find that way soon."

Kori's smile became happier. "I believe you are right." It was then she saw just how blue those sapphire eyes of his were, his rumbled ebony hair and boyish, slightly cocky smirk that made her heart begin to beat faster. She quickly dropped her gaze to her drink, letting her long hair fall around her face, hiding her from Richard's view. Hearing his warm, tenor chuckle didn't exactly help either.

"Well," Richard began, trying to break the awkward silence that fell over them. "I suppose I don't have to ask you if you want to go for coffee once we get out of this seeing as you already have one of your own." He tilted his head, looking at the large Styrofoam cup thoughtfully.

"Let me guess, that's a either a cappuccino, macchiato or a mocha."

Kori giggled and shook her head. Deciding to throw caution to the wind, she lifted her gaze to meet Richard and held out the coffee cup to him, finding herself asking, "Why don't you tell me?"

A look of intrigue, and interest, to put it lightly, darkened his eyes as he took the cup out of Kori's hand, lifted it to his mouth and took a sip. He became thoughtful as he savored the drink, picking out the flavors. "There's hot apple cider, pumpkin coffee mixed with cinnamon and I believe whipped cream?"

Kori grinned. "Yep! Can you do that with wine as well?"

Richard made a slight face, like a child who tasted something sour for the first time. "Truth be told I don't drink wine all that often, if ever. Do you?"

Kori shook her head, "I'm not a big fan of alcohol myself. Even drinking champagne kinda makes me gag." She rolled her eyes. "My friends like calling me either rosebud or snowflake saying I'm pure and innocent. I'm not sure if that's a compliment or not."

"It's cute," Richard said. "You're cute." Then he corrected himself. "You're beautiful."

Kori blushed as she smiled. "Thank you." She tilted her head, slightly childlike. "You yourself are handsome, as if there truly is Prince Charming out there and perhaps he is sitting with me."

Richard laughed. "And right now he's as much of a damsel as the beauty that is with him." Kori quickly joined in the laughter, Richard loving the musicality in it.

Soon their laughter subsided into quiet giggles before stopping altogether. Their eyes locked onto one another's, faces slowly drifting forward. Kori's eyes began to close, her lips barely brushing Richard's when a loud clanking sound forced the pair apart as they glanced upward to see the roof of the elevator open, a repairman peering down at them.

"You kids alright?" The repairman shouted.

"We're fine!" Richard called back.

"Great! We'll have you out of there in about five minutes!"

"Wonderful!" Kori replied. _Not really…_.

Sure enough, the elevator began to continue its ascension within the promised five minutes. Richard stood, holding out a hand to help Kori to her feet. He rubbed the back of his neck, unsure of how to proceed. He just knew he didn't want to let her go. She smiled warmly and reached for his Blackberry, silently typing in her contact information.

"I hope we will be able to stay in touch," Kori said as she exited once the elevator reached the sixteenth floor. She turned around and in true flirtatious, "high school cheerleader" fashion raised her fingers in a "call me" gesture, the elevator closing on Richard's smile.

As the elevator proceeded toward Richard's floor, he stared at the information Kori had entered silently mouthing the digits of her phone number repeatedly until he had it memorized. Who needed speed dial when they had a number known by heart?

* * *

It was only two days since their first meeting and Richard found it difficult to concentrate. The blue of his computer screen melded and darkened to a rich amber, sun kissed skin. Emerald eyes seemed to focus on his very soul, scarlet hair falling in shiny, sumptuous waves. Twin lips, full and quite possibly as soft as rose petals stretched into a smile. Richard reached out, letting his fingers graze Kori's lips. Oh how he ached with the desire to kiss them.

"Uh, Man why are you looking at your computer with that look like you wanna make out with it?" Startled, Richard turned to his friend and fellow lawyer leaning against his office door. He then became slightly disgusted. "Ah come on man, don't tell me you have _that_ on there!"

Richard rolled his eyes. "It's good to see Sarah helped you grow out of that habit of yours."

"That's one of the many reasons why I love her," Victor replied. "So back to you, what's with the lost puppy dog look on your face? What's her name?"

"Kori Anders," Richard answered immediately.

"As in the model?"

"Yeah, it turns out she's my neighbor." Richard frowned slightly. "I was with her for only about an hour and a half. Is it possible to have strong feelings for someone that quickly?"

"Hey, I fell for Sarah in half an hour," Victor said. "You tell me."

"I want to call her," Richard began. "But every time I start dialing her number, I shake my head and hang up. I can't remember the last time I was this nervous about a girl."

Victor chuckled. "Yup, you're in love."

Was that possible?

* * *

Kori strolled confidently into the modeling studio and plopped herself down in the middle of the bare dance floor available to the models to stretch their sinew before folding their bodies into if any, complicated poses. She flipped open the box of pizza she had brought in with her, lifted out a slice of cheese and chopped pickle pizza happily taking a large bite.

As she took a swig of Coke from the six pack she had brought along with her, Karen appeared along with Garth exclaiming, "Whoo girl! Finally someone with enough guts to be an actual model and eat real food in public let alone the workplace." She sat beside her friend. "Hand me a slice, will ya?"

While Karen bit into a slice of pepperoni, Garth helped himself to a cheese slice. "So what inspired the rebellious, anti-salads only diet?"

Kori shrugged, swallowing her mouthful. "I want to start being me. I was signed into a contract I did not want to be a part of, yet being a minor didn't give me an opportunity to say otherwise. Well, that's according to my sister anyway. I just finally want to able to say 'yes' and 'no' for my own reasons."

Karen nodded. "Right on, girl."

Garth eyed the young red head speculatively. "Why do I get the feeling that you're leaving us?"

"Because I am," Kori replied. "I'm going back to school to get some sort of degree. I want to be a music teacher and teach those in special education." She held up her pizza. "I intend to go out with a bang."

"Good for you girl!" Karen congratulated. Garth nodded his agreement over the soda can held up to his mouth. "We'll miss you," Karen added in a softer tone.

"I shall miss the both of you as well," Kori replied. "But don't worry, we all know where one another lives so we can meet up on our free time." Her friends nodded their acquiescence.

* * *

Around four-thirty when Kori was gathering her personal belongings strewn about her dressing room, there was a knock on the door. Kori opened the door to find Garth on the other side, a garment bag folded over his arm. "Martin wanted you to have this."

Taking the bag, Kori unzipped it to see the dress she had worn the other day. She looked back up at Garth. "Tell Mr. Starsk, thank you very much." When her eyes met Garth's no longer did she see violet, but a heart melting sapphire, his shoulder length locks became rumpled, floppy curls of ebony.

Kori felt herself gravitating toward him, eyes beginning to close when she felt two fingers on her lips. She opened her eyes to see Garth staring confusedly at her. "Um…Kori?"

A blush swept over Kori, heat radiating through her body. "Sorry!" She squeaked burying her face in her hands. "Oh sorry, sorry, sorry! So sorry!" She peeked through her fingers. "I've been thinking about this guy I met and I just can't get him out of my mind. Ohhh, I am so sorry!"

Garth laughed. "It's okay. Happens to the best of us. I'll see you around?"

Bobbing her head vigorously, Kori quickly retreated into her room, shutting the door behind her. Blowing away a piece of red hair that fell into her face, she held up the garment bag deciding it was okay to remain daring for the rest of the day.

* * *

"Well this is a sight I thought I'd never see." Kori turned at the sound of the smooth tenor voice, smiling when she saw Richard.

She laughed, "Well I suppose seeing a known model in an evening gown with a black denim jacket and carrying grocery bags would qualify as a sight." Her heart fluttered at the sound of his laughter. "I'm glad to see you."

"I'm happy to see you too," Richard replied. He cast a glance at the elevator Kori was waiting for. "Not going to wait for Teddy?"

Kori shook her head. "I've learned my lesson." The door to the elevator opened. She tilted her head toward it. "Care to join me?" Richard grinned and followed her into the elevator.

As the car began to ride, Richard asked Kori, "So how are things?"

"Well, I decided to start making my dreams come true," Kori answered. "I quit my modeling career. I shall be taking classes at the community college in about two weeks."

Richard smiled. "That's great! I wish you much success."

"Thank you. How is Terra?"

"Healing," Richard answered. "Taking one step at a time. But she says she's feeling a little smothered by Gar's attention." He chuckled. "But she's grateful nonetheless."

"That is g--oh not again!" Kori cried as the elevator jostled before coming to a complete standstill, the lights snapping off. She let out a squeak of surprise as she felt Richard's hand wrap around her wrist and yanked her down next to him.

"Hey, I'm not complaining," He said. "The company's great."

She giggled. "Well, we went for coffee the last time, is this an actual date?"

She could hear the laughter in his voice. "A little unconventional, but why not?" Kori rifled through her grocery bags, feeling around. Once she reached her goal she pulled out two pre-made deli sandwiches. "Do you prefer the sandwich in my left hand or the one in my right?"

More laughter came from Richard, a soft white glow soon illuminating the room. He held his Blackberry up to the sandwiches Kori held. "Let's see here…you have turkey and roast beef. What, no exotic flavors?" He teased gently.

"Hey, I'll have you know that this is the finest roast beef in all of Jump City," Kori fired back in the same teasing tone. "Coming straight from the deli of Marcy's supermarket." She shoved the turkey in his hand. "Just for that, no roast beef for you mister."

Grinning, Richard unwrapped the sandwich and bit into it. Chewing thoughtfully, he asked, "How long do you think it'll be before we get out of here?"

Kori shrugged. "I'm not sure, all I know is that the last time was far too short for my liking. Ginger ale?" She held out a twenty ounce. "Hope you don't mind, but we'll probably have to share."

"That's fine," Richard said before unscrewing the top and taking a swig before passing it back to Kori.

Swallowing her own sip, Kori placed her half eaten sandwich back on the wrapper before reaching for her purse and began digging through it.

"Looking to apply a fresh coat of lip gloss?" Richard asked, half teasing, half curious.

Kori rolled her eyes at him. "No, and hey look, I took more than one bite. Yeesh, what's with all of the model stereotypes people love to throw at us?"

Richard looked abashed. "Sorry."

Kori smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, I was be rhetoric, just speaking aloud. You didn't offend me. And actually, I was looking for this." She pulled out her iPod Touch. She bit her lip, gaze focused on the ground as she asked shyly, "Would you like to dance?"

"Doesn't the guy have to ask the girl?"

Kori shrugged, looking at him through the veil of her thick eyelashes. "Isn't this the twenty-first century?"

"Yes it is," Richard whispered before extending a hand toward Kori, pulling them both up. Richard took Kori's iPod and placed it back on the ground. "But why can't we make our own music?"

Kori felt a tremor of excitement and nervousness run down her spine and flow into her soul as Richard clasped their right hands together, his left arm coming securely around her waist as Kori laid her left arm around his shoulder, her head coming to rest in the crook of his neck. They began to sway as Richard began to croon softly the tune of "The way you look tonight."

Because of their rather compact space, the two could pretty much only sway, but Richard surprised Kori by gently spinning them in a circle before dipping her slightly, her long hair coming close to the ground. As Richard pulled her up, Kori sang the last line of the song, her voice clear and a bell-like soprano.

While she sang, Richard leaned in close, forcing Kori's voice to become softer, the word "tonight" was whispered, a mere breath before Richard sealed her lips with his.

Time seemed to stop, a feeling Kori thought was only cliché, yet with Richard, in his arms it seemed so true. Nothing existed except for him, his warmth, his scent, the velvety softness of his lips….

Richard released Kori's hand and let it drop to her waist, the one already there tightening as if he dare not let her go. Kori's arms circled around his neck, fingers snaking into his hair and gently caressing his scalp. Her touch sent jolts of electricity down his spine, making him kiss her with more fervor.

When their lungs screamed for oxygen the pair broke apart. Richard looked into Kori's softly illuminated eyes taking in their sparkle and quiet fire. Her heaving breaths tickled his face, his eyes traveling slightly lower and landing on her lips. They were swollen and from what he could see in the light, a cherry red. Overcome with desire he kissed her again, softer this time, allowing her to deepen the kiss.

The kiss was shorter and when they pulled away, Richard rested his forehead on Kori's whispering to her, "I think I love you."

Kori smiled and hummed for a minute before whispering back, "I think I love you too."

* * *

There! My longest one shot ever. What My Dark Angel should have been. Speaking of which, the next and final chapter of that should be up soon. I hope you enjoyed this story. R&R!


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